Hi thanks for accepting me to the group. I currently own a S max 2.5t which we’ve had for nearly 11 years and has 60,000 miles. I’m currently trying to persuade SWMBO to get a Superb Estate around 2016 onwards. Ideally SportLine or L&k spec with Sunroof. I’m probably thinking petrol with the miles we do asi think having diesel might be a disaster with Dpf!I would love the 280 petrol but wonder if that’s a step to far and the 220 would suffice. Never had a dsg are they as clunky as I’ve heard or better suited to the petrol motor? What’s the real world mpg like on these two ? We currently have a Mk 7 Golf gti too so familiar with the engine. Is the 1.4 Tsi underpowered especially when loaded up or not too bad ? 
Thanks Rob

That's a bit of a wide and varied 'wish list', 1.4 <>280 TSI 

 

Last year I made the switch from a 150PS TDI to a 280 TSI after ~11 years diesel ownership.  My mileage had reduced significantly and I was keen to offload my TDI before the government/media made it worthless or hard(er) to shift. 

 

I wanted to stick with the Superb (Sportline) as my first years ownership was faultless and I have nothing but praise for the car.  I did look at a few other petrol (Q) cars, Kia Stinger GTS (couldn't test drive it though) and a Volvo V60 Polestar (couldn't reach a good deal) and other than those two nothing really interested me.  I thought about it a little more and decided the Superb was still the car for me. 

 

Now I just had to decide whether or not to go for the 220 or 280.  I actually started a thread on it, which may be of interest to you as I had some really constructive and helpful responses: 

 

 

My 280 is close to covering 10K miles and I absolutely love it.  I look forward to every drive and I'm really not exaggerating. Running costs are a stark contrast to my TDI.  Long term MPG is just under 30 and on a long run of 200 miles (which I do fortnightly) I will see the MPG nudge 40 and with the return trip being quite similar in terms of MPG,  I see a range of ~ 550 miles from a tank.  Over Christmas I was only using the car locally, mainly short trips around town and I was barely seeing 400 miles from a tank.   Though I knew this would likely be the case when I was deciding which car to go for.  In all honesty I'm pleasantly surprised by seeing high 30's on a long trip, without much effort; cruise control set to NSL and that's about it.  Colder temps/Winter fuel will obviously affect things too.  I always try to fill up with Tesco Momentum but will use VPower if needs be.  I don't have a lab/dyno at my disposal but IME the engine seems peppier when using Momentum. 

 

One thing that did surprise me was that my insurance went down by £50, which I know is subjective and very relevant to me only.  

 

My car has the 6 spd DSG and it's very smooth and works perfectly when left on it's own or when using the paddles to move up/down the gears.  The DSG works excellently with the ACC, bringing the car to stop in traffic jams and then allowing you to pull away again with no fuss, if you are stationary then you'll need to flick the ACC stalk to get moving again but there's none of that left foot ache of operating the clutch in stop/start traffic.   It really does make a huge difference on long journeys.  I managed to do nearly 150 miles on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning down the A1 > A14 and just had to worry about indicating/changing lane. It's definitely not 'clunky'.

 

Performance of the 280 is stonking.  It does have the same torque figures as the 220 and when I test drove them both back-to-back I honestly didn't think the 280 was that much more 'special' until I put my foot down and got towards the red line (sorry @Boxerdog1 that was in your 1st 280).  That's when the extra BHP becomes very noticeable and you're then aware of the performance which is on tap.  Yet the car is relatively hushed and refined so don't expect cackles and farts from the exhaust; there's some butterfly valves which open when you give it the beans and the exhaust makes a civilised bark and you can hear the induction/turbo too.  Think 'grown up super saloon' rather than 'shouty hot hatch'.  I think the exhaust/engine note suits the characteristics of the car quite well.  It's like an old school sleeper.  There's much fun to be had when making the protagonist German exec wagon turn into a little dot in your rear view mirror, after you get frustrated with the obligatory tail-gating.  

 

The handling isn't as direct or weighted as your GTI but it's not far off.  I find that most VW group cars lack the steering feel of even the standard Mazda's and Fords.   The Sportline is 15mm lower than 'standard' and that makes a big difference but it's still not as tight as a sorted performance car but I think that would actually spoil the every day usability of the Superb.  So it's not a track weapon for sure but it's no slouch either and you can still have some fun on a B road.  I've never found it wanting. 

 

I never experienced traction braking on the 220 when I test drove it (in the dry) but I know others often complain that it can struggle on a wet road, when you need to pull out quickly.  My Mk2 Octavia vRS struggled with 197bhp so I can fully appreciate that 220 could be an 'issue' at times.  If you've not had problems or experienced this in your Golf then you may decide against the need for 4x4.  It does apparently add weight to front end but again this isn't something I noticed on back-to-back test drives.  I've not used this Sportline in the snow or bad weather so can't comment on making a huge difference over FWD but I do have all-season tyres which work well anyway so hopefully the 4x4 will just make things a little more sure-footed. 

 

So after much waffle and in summary; if you can afford/justify the additional fuel costs and servicing of the Haldex system, potentially insurance too then I would highly recommend the 280 BUT if you do opt for the 220 then you'd still have a very good car that is a great all-rounder.  Either way I'm on my second Sportline and regardless of what engine is under the bonnet, they are a great car. 

 

 

Edited 28 January, 20197 yr by penguin17

That’s a great help and review thanks I just to need to get my head around the car tax too. Is pre 17 Reg £190.00 without the added cost for the 1st 5years ? 

Drive it hard and you'll get as low as 14mpg. Realistically this is what you should expect: 14-23 city, less than 30 outside. Seems reasonable to expect you'd use all the horses, otherwise why have them. The 220 is geared higher to get more mpg but drive it hard you get in the 14s - pretty pointless to get something that uses as much gas but with less traction. Rather ask yourself what kind of trips you want to have.

https://carfueldata.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/new-vehicle-tax.aspx?t=23ude39

 

 

I've got the 220. It's got all the power I'll ever need and still poodles about town nice as you like. Yes, the front end will break away if you floor it from a stand still and, yes, it's easy to break away in the wet. But judicious use of the throttle solves that problem. You just have to allow a bit more space before lungeing into traffic. And better tyres than the P7's.

 

I've never felt the car lacked for power when passing on the B-roads. I've averaged 36.6 mpg measured at the pump over two years.

 

I love everything about this car, except the length. The price you pay for all that room in the back seat and boot. And that's just the hatchback.

^^^^^+1

I also have the 220 sportline and love it i have had 3 dsgs, a vw 1.9tdi jetta a mk2 fk vrs diesel and now the superb and all dsg's have been faultless and smooth.  Unless you are booting it everywhere and need the traction especially from standstill or in the wet the 220 is more than quick enough.  

Basically, what Penguin said. I do prob 8k miles a year and knew what I was getting in to when i bought the 280. My economy figures are around what penguins are , a recent 230 mile solo motorway trip avg 36.5. round town or loaded up it suffers a bit. Its still better than my previous motor (a 172ps 2.0t petrol Vectra Sri estate) despite being 100+ ps more. I guess that is what a 15 year technology jump will do.

 

The 220 will do everything you want and probably a bit more as long as you don't boot it too hard in the wet   The 280 has an advantage in grip, I've not yet unstuck mine and I have tried   I really think in the real world there isn't much to choose between them.

 

As a car, the Superb is exactly that, superb.  

Hi OP. Just bought a 280 se-l at the start of jan having had a 2.5T mondeo estate - same floorpan as your s-max.

I used to struggle to get over 22-24 mpg day to day with up to low 30's going to france. Just filled up for 2nd time and got 29mpg including a trip to london and back. Around 26 to and from work so even using shell v-max im happy to have >10% better fuel. Loving the dsg,  so calming in traffic but far quicker than the mondeo was when i want to. No scrabbling on the greaay edges getting onto roundabouts sharpish is the big revelation. No axle tramping or torque steer has also been nice.  

It is masssive inside especially the rear seat leg room which was the main atttraction for the family. Im 6'4" and about 8" of knee room behind me. 

Front sensors arent standard on early cars below l+k trim. But, the bonnet is shorter than the mondeo. (Same space needed as golf etc) so you can see where the car ends. Your higher seating in the smax may miss them though. Superb is narrower than your current drive.

Im also loving the newer technology compared to 2007 ford - tho thus is not just a superb thing! 6cd changer? Pah 12Gb (ish) hard disk space for many more cd's.

The steering is not as 'direct' or feely but plenty of grip. Ive got DCC, sport mode is similar to sports suspension in the mondeo for feel. But i have got older and enjoy comfort on the motorway. The heated screen is option only below l+k if you are ysed to it on your s-max. Finally I've had lots of complimentary comments about its shape and colour ( petrol blue). Biggest issue was shortage of cars that age right spec right price. 

Good luck. 

Thanks for these replies there very helpful. I suppose now I need to go see one and decide! 

If I can add my  two ha'pathworth in, I went from a Subaru BRZ to a 280 in L&K spec and haven't regretted the decision at all. 

The performance is immense, especially as you sit on the motorway at, say, 60-65 and then need to pass a vehicle. It just goes like a train.

My overall economy based on short (7 mile each way) trips with occasional longer ones averages around the 27 mpg.

I've just been out this morning on VERY snowy roads with winter tyres and it never once thought about sliding or wheel spinning.

As others have said it won't be the last word in handling but the sacrifice is worth it for the other benefits.

The DSG box is very nice to use especially around town.

If you can live with the economy, it'll put a smile on your face every time you drive it.

Edited 29 January, 20197 yr by Groaver

Thanks Groaver the economy as you mentioned would be up by 7mpg to our S max and we do less than 6,000 miles a year hence why I think a diesel would be a disaster with dpf! 

Rob 

At 6k a year the economy is not even important. For smiles per mile, get the 280  

My thoughts exactly and as the saying goes life’s to short! 

Another 280 owner, and I can heartily recommend them.

 

We bought ours in November and it's difficult to keep the mileage off of it!